gr In difcourfing of the fecond of these, viz. the matter of the caution, I propofed, 1. To confider wherein the nature of this vice of covetoufnefs does confift. 2. To fhew the evil and unreasonableness of it. The first of these I have difpatched, and now go on to the fecond, viz. To fhew the great evil, and unreasonablenefs of the vice of covetoufness. Now covetoufnefs will appear to be very evil, and unreasonable, upon thefe following accounts: I. Because it takes men off from religion, and the care of their fouls. II. Because it tempts men to do many things which are inconfiftent with religion, and directly contrary to it. III. Because it is an endless and infatiable defire. IV. Because the happiness of human life doth not confift in riches. V. Because riches do very often contribute very much to the mifery and infelicity of men. Firft, Covetoufnefs takes men off from religion, and the care of their fouls. The covetous man is wholly intent upon this world; and his inordinate defire after thefe things, makes him to neglect God, and the eternal concernments of his foul. He employs all his time, and care, and thoughts about thefe temporal things, and his vehement love and eager purfuit of thefe things fteals away his heart from God, robs him of his time, and of all opportunities for his foul, and diverts him from all ferious thoughts of another world, and the life to come. And the reafon of this is that which our Saviour gives, Matth. vi. 24. No man can ferve two masters; for either he will bate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and defpife the other. Ye cannot ferve God and mammon. No man can ferve two mafters fo different as God and the world are; because they will give crois commands, and enjoin contrary things. God calls upon us to mind the duties of his worship and fervice, to have a ferious regard to religion, and a diligent care of our fouls: But the cares of the world, and the importunity of business, and an eager appetite appetite of being rich, call us off from thefe divine and fpiritual employments, or difturb us in them. God calls upon us to be charitable to those that are in want, to be willing to diftribute, and ready to communicate to the neceffities of our brethren; but our covetousness pulls us back, and hales us another way, and checks all merciful and charitable inclinations in us. God calls us to self-denial, and suffering for the fake of him, and his truth, and commands us to prefer the keeping of faith and a good confcience, to all worldly confiderations whatsoever : But the world infpires us with other thoughts, and whispers to us to fave ourselves, not to be righteous over much, and rather to truft God with our fouls, than men with our bodies and estates. If we fet our hearts and affections ftrongly upon any thing, they will partake of the object which they are converfant about; for where our treasure is, (as our Lord hath told us) there will our hearts be alfo If a great eftate be our chief end and defign, if riches be our treasure, and our happinefs, our hearts will be found among the stuff. We cannot beftow our affections freely upon two objects. We cannot intenfely love God, and the world; for no man can have two ultimate ends, two principal defigns. Our riches may increase, but if we fet our hearts upon them, and give them the chief place in our affections, we make them our Lord and Mafter. Whatever we make our ultimate end, we give it a fovereignty and einpire over us we put ourselves under its dominion, and make ourselves fubject to all its commands. So that if it bid us go we must go; come, we must come; do this, we must do it; because we are under authority: The world is our master, and we are its slaves. Now he that is under the rule and dominion of this ma fter, muft withdraw his obedience from God, and in many cafes decline obedience to his laws. This worldly covetous difpofition was that which made those in the parable to make so many excuses, when they were invited to the fupper, Luke xiv. 18. One had bought a farm, and he could not come ; an other had bought so many yoke of oxen, and there fore fore he defired to be excused. Riches do fo fill the covetous man's heart, and the cares of the world fo poffefs his mind, that he, hath no room left in his foul for any other guests: Intus exiftens prohibet alienum, that which is full already can receive no more. The covetous man's heart is taken up with fuch things as keep out God, and Chrift, and better things. If any man love the world, and the things of it, to this degree, St. John tells us, that the love of the Father is not in him. In the parable of the fower, Matth. xiii. 7. our Saviour reprefents to us, the cares of the world, which choak the word of God, by thorns which Sprung up among the feed, and stifled the growth of it. The cares of the world will not fuffer the word of God to take deep root in our hearts, and to have any permanent effect upon them: And Ezek. xxxiii. 31. God gives this as a reason why the people of Ifrael would not hearken to the words of his prophet, because their hearts were upon the world: They come unto thee (lays God there to the prophet) as the people cometh, and they fit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth, they fhew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. A heart that is deeply engaged in the world, will, ftand out against all the invitations, and promises, and threatnings of God's word. When the word of God invites fuch perfons, it is like making love to those who have already fixed their hearts and affections elsewhere, the promifes and threatnings of the gofpel, fignify but very little to fuch men, because their hearts are fet upon worldly things, and all their affections are bent that way; all their hopes and defires are worldly; to be rich and-abound in wealth; and all their fears are of poverty and lofs. Now fuch a man can only be moved with the promifes and threatnings of temporal things; for no promifes have any effect upon us, but fuch as are of fome good, which we care for and value: Nor are any threatnings apt to move us, but fuch as are of fome evil which we dread, and are afraid of. And therefore when eternal life, and the happiness of another world, are offered to a worldly minded man, he does not defire it, he is not at all fenfible of the value of it; the man's heart is full already of other hopes and defires, and the full foul loatheth the honey-comb. Promife to fuch a man the kingdom of heaven, and the pleafures of God's prefence, and the joys of eternity, this does not fignify to fuch a man any good or happiness that he is fenfible of, or knows how to relish. And on the other hand, threaten him with the loss of God, and eternal feparation from that fountain of happinefs, and with the unspeakable anguifh and torments of a long eternity; these things, though they be terrible, yet they are at a distance, and the covetous man is inured to fenfe, and is only to be moved with things prefent and fenfible; he cannot extend his fears fo far as another world, fo long as he finds himself well and at cafe, as to the things of this prefent life. If we would affect fuch a man, we must offer to his confideration fomething that is fit to work upon him: threaten him with breaking open his houfe, and rifling his coffers, and carrying away his full bags; with questioning his title to his eftate, or starting a precedent mortgage, or fomething of the like nature: thefe things indeed are dreadful and terrible to him; now you speak intelligibly to him, and he understands what you mean. Tell him of a good bargain, or an advantageous purchase, offer him decently a good bribe, or give him notice of a young heir that may be circumvented, and drawn in, then you fay fomething to him that is worthy of his regard and attention ; the man may be tempted by fuch offers and promifes as thefe: But difcourfe to him with the tongue of men and Angels, of the excellency of virtue and goodness, and of the neceffity of it, to the obtaining of a glory and happiness that fhall neither have bounds nor end; and To! thou art unto him as a very lovely fong of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well upon an inftrument; for he hears thy words, but he will not do them, as the prophet expreffeth it, Ezek. xxxiii, 32. Such difcourfes as thefe they look upon as fine talk, or a melodious found, that vanifheth into air, but leaves no impref fion behind it. Perhaps even thefe dull and ftupid kind of men are affected a little for the prefent with the liveliness of the romance, and the poetical vein of the preacher; but these things pass away like a tale that is told, but have no lafting effect upon them. So effectually doth covetoufnefs, and the love of this prefent world, obftruct all thofe paffages, through which the confideration of religion and heavenly, things fhould enter into our minds. Secondly, As covetoufnefs hinders men from religion, and takes them off from a due care of their fouls fo it many times tempts and engageth men to do many things contrary to religion, and inconfiftent with it: It is the natural fource and fountain of a great many evils, and the parent of most of the worst of vices. He that will engage deep in the world, must use much more guard and caution than moft men do, to do it without fin. How many temptations is the covetous man exposed to in the getting, and in the fecuring, and in the spending and enjoying of a great eftate? It is no eafy task to reckon them up, and much more difficult to escape or refift them, and yet each of thefe temptations, brings him into the danger of a great many fins. For, I. In the getting of an eftate, he is expofed to all thofe vices which may feem to be serviceable to this defign. Nothing hath been the cause of more and greater fins in the world than covetoufnefs, and making hafte to be rich, It is Solomon's obfervation, Prov. xxviii. 20. He that maketh hafte to be rich, Shall not be innocent. He does not fay he cannot be innocent, but he speaks as if there were all the probability in the world that he will not prove to be fo; but being in fo much hafte, will almoft unavoidably fall into a great many overlights and faults. And the heathen Poet makes the fame obfervation in more words: Inde ferè fcelerum caufa: nec plura venena Et |